Call for Artists: Music Biennale Zagreb

The MBZ LAB reimagines how festivals commission and produce new works, particularly collaborative, sound-based projects designed for unconventional spaces. Music Biennale Zagreb is seeking bold, imaginative, and process-driven artists who want to activate public spaces or unusual sites and reimagine the audience experience.

This opportunity is structured in two Stages:

Stage 1

Each selected application will receive:

• Travel and accommodation for up to two people (if applying as a duo) for a site visit to Zagreb (scheduled between 27 and 31 October 2025)
• A seed development fee of €1000 (note that this amount will be the same for individual artists and artistic duos)

Stage 2

• Final projects will be selected in early 2026 and co-produced by MBZ for presentation in April 2027, as part of the 34th Music Biennale Zagreb.

Production budgets and timelines for each selected project will be developed in close collaboration with the chosen artists.

Eligibility 

Composer-performers, sound and installation artists, improvisers, new-media artists, instrument makers, as well as visual, multimedia, and/or performance artists whose work engages with sound and music in expanded or non-traditional ways are invited to apply.

Applicants should be in the early-to-mid-career stage, with a developed body of work and some public presentation history, but are not yet regularly commissioned by major institutions or festivals (approximate age range: 25-35 years old). An ongoing collaborative practice is essential. 

While priority is given to those based within approximately 500 km of Zagreb, applications from artists with strong contextual ties to the region (e.g. origin, language, or past collaborations) are also welcomed. 

For more information, check the dedicated page of the MZB website.